alis volat propriis 「she flies with her own wings」
by LunaSeasMoonChild
Summary: [AU, reverse canon] What if, instead of Neji, Hinata died protecting Naruto in the Fourth Shinobi War? / In which Hinata lays down her life for Naruto in the war, and Neji is just a tad too late to step in.


_**Author's notes:**_ Just a one-shot that came to mind as I watched eps 389-390. Hyuuga-centric eps huhuT_T. And that means, of course, NejiHina interaction. Having a deeper look at Hanabi and her relationship with her sister was so refreshing. It clears up exactly what kind of relationship Hinata and Hanabi has, and developed Hanabi's character a little bit more. Ack! Loved it!

But looking back now, it's just irritating how it was Lee instead of Hinata who was holding Neji's body and crying over him. I just hate Kishi right now.

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He hadn't been there to save her during Pein's attack on the village. And now, this.

He was supposed to protect her. But he'd failed in the ultimate way.

Hiashi was in another part of the battlefield, leagues away from the center. Neji had been in proximity, but still, he was too far away. When he saw the attack, he knew they would not be able to deflect it, so their only option was to take cover, and they had to find it somehow in an open field. He immediately sought her, instinct driving him to shield her and ensure her safety. But he did not see her immediately. Where was she? She was just here a moment ago, fighting alongside him. That was when he found her, standing in front of Naruto with her arms spread, her back on the enemy. He shouted out her name as he ran with all the power and strength left in his legs, but he wasn't fast enough to get there in time.

What kind of protector was he? A failure, that's what. First, when they were younger, and he'd tried to kill her. When the Akatsuki invaded the village, he wasn't there, having been away on an ill-timed mission. And now, when she laid down her life for a dear comrade, he hadn't made it in time to take up her sacrifice so that he would be the one, instead of her.

He managed to dodge the barrage of spikes. But Hinata hadn't, as was her intention from the beginning. She remained standing even when some spikes had gone through her.

"Hinata!"

Neji caught her in his arms before she fell to her knees.

"Hinata!" The panic and fear in his eyes were uncharacteristic, and for those who knew his usually calm and stoic demeanor, seeing the Hyuuga genius so shaken was enough to dishearten and demoralize the shinobi who looked up to him.

"Neji…nii…"

"Medic! Medic!" Neji screamed out desperately. "Sakura! Anyone!" He looked down to Hinata, who had just coughed out blood as it trailed down the sides of her mouth. "Hold on, Hinata," he whispered softly; he offered a smile to her, trying to reassure both of them. "You're going to be fine," his voice cracked and he internally chastised himself because a few tears escaped his eyes. He diverted his gaze once more to look at their surroundings for any other shinobi who could come to their aid. "Medical team! There's someone critically injured here! Medic!"

Neji didn't care that anyone and everyone could see him in tears, weeping for his cousin, a heroine and a martyr. He could not hear the din of fighting and chaos, not even his despairing cries, so absorbed was he in his grief as he cradled the lifeless body of his sweet, sweet cousin, bleeding and broken and no more.

"Medic!"

Neji kept shouting, even though she had gone limp and he could no longer feel her chest taking in shallow, labored breaths.

"Medic!"

Neji kept shouting, even though she no longer drew breath.

"Medic!"

Neji didn't know how long he kept shouting for a medic until Gai-sensei and his former genin teammates came to him.

He couldn't move anymore. He couldn't let go of Hinata. For his entire battle prowess, he was incapacitated by grief. He could not function, not with this suffering. For all the deaths surrounding them, this one loss, this one casualty, he could not handle.

Neji held her closer to him, letting her head rest in the crook of his neck as he laid his cheek on her dusty forehead.

No, he couldn't join the fray. He couldn't just leave her here. Not again. Never again.

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Neji carried her lifeless body to the camps. His eyes were dull as he trudged through the tents. Kiba could be heard sobbing behind; Shino made no sound but the gloom and grief in him hung heavy, shared by all. From time to time, he removed his glasses to wipe at the corners of his eyes. Lee and Tenten silently flanked their teammate.

Proceeding in his tent, Neji laid her down on his cot. The spikes had had killed her had been removed. He had closed her eyes earlier when a part of him had finally realized that even if a medic came to his side right then, Hinata would still not be saved.

And that was his fault, not the absence of a medic nearby.

She looked so peaceful, belying the fact that she had died a violent death. Neji was inclined to believe that she were only sleeping, that he felt the urge to try to shake her awake. But his heart was too heavy with finality and reality, knowing that it was futile. He could not delude himself with denial.

From his pack, Neji took a piece of cloth, meant for cleaning away dirt and grime, as well as his canteen, which was still filled with water, then proceeded to dampen the cloth with it. Silently, he wiped Hinata's face, an attempt to clean her face marred by dried blood and dust.

Lee and Tenten looked to each other in worry and pity, but chose to wordlessly accompany their teammate.

Neji was torn out of his stupor when he heard a loud cry full of despair. He recognized it as belonging to his uncle, who had just arrived inside the tent.

"No…" He wailed, as tears fell, unbidden. He never knew his uncle could grieve like that. "Not my daughter… My daughter!" Hiashi fell to ground next to the cot where HInata's body lay. Hyuuga clansmen surrounded their leader.

The Head of the proud Hyuuga family, brought to his knees.

This was the first time the Hyuuga had seen their formidable clan leader break down, beaten and utterly defeated, emotions of heartbreak, grief, and pain unhinged, on public display.

Hiashi already lost his dear wife and twin brother. But Hinata… she was so young; she still had so much to experience of life, and life itself still had much promise in store for her. It was not fair. It should have been him. No parent should have to go through the loss of their child before their own time to depart from the world.

It is natural that a parent should pass from the world before their child. Eventually, all parents will leave their children. It is a given, a natural cycle. But for the children to pass away before their parents do, it is an indescribable pain and suffering that can even drive a couple apart. It is the greatest tragedy for a parent, their greatest fear and apprehension. It is an entirely different plane of hell and pain when a parent loses a child, instead of the other way around.

What had Neji proclaimed to Naruto then, in the battlefield? _Shikamaru's and Ino's fathers both knew… that giving their lives before their children do is a responsibility of us as shinobi! My father did the same._ **[1]**

Neji wondered how Hiashi must feel, his heiress lifeless before she inherited her rightful title, gone before her adulthood, passed away in her teens, the spring of her youth and not even in her prime yet. To be buried before she could leave behind her own legacy, born from her own flesh.

"Yamanaka-san and Nara-san, and my brother," Hiashi's voice brimmed with bitterness and suffering, "they were fortunate enough to have laid down their lives before their children did."

Hiashi laid a hand on his daughter's cold cheek before breaking down in sobs once more.

Neji stood immobile, eyes blank. He did not realize that tears were falling down his face.

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There was neither respite nor peace to be had after the war ended. Yes, they had won the war, they had saved the world; but what of the aftermath? There would be no rejoicing for their victory, only grieving for the losses of loved ones and homes. There would be no celebration, only reconstruction. There was to be no time for festivities after war; not when the dust and carnage from the battlefield lingered in the air.

When the surviving Hyuuga arrived back to the clan's compound with the bodies of their fallen kin and their heiress, relatives awaited them by the entrance. They were solemn and wore black, as if already attending a funeral. Only Hanabi wore her typical genin garb.

Hanabi also let out a despairing cry as the body of her beloved elder sister was set down. She knelt by her sister's side, screaming and weeping. Soon, Hanabi's cries were joined with murmurs and sobs of grief and sorrow. The immediate families of the fallen Hyuuga nin approached their loved ones whose names will now be etched on the memorial stone to join those who had given their all in protection of the village.

Hiashi laid a hand on his remaining daughter's shoulders. He knelt behind her and held her as she continued to screech her tears and pain. Hiashi's tears fell once again as he joined his youngest daughter in grieving.

All the while, Neji could only stand and stare at the Head family, his closest kin.

Hanabi seemed to have lost her voice as her breaths came in quick gasps. She looked up at her first cousin. "You," she stood up shakily. "Where were you?" She began to raise her voice in anger. "Why didn't you save her?! Why did you let her die?!"

She cried out loud again as Hiashi turned her around and held her against him. Her sobs were muffled as she pressed her face against her father's moss green flak jacket.

Neji bowed his head in shame and grief.

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Years later, as peace has settled in, everyone has moved on with their lives. Their peers, their generation, are no longer teens. They are adults; they now have to think of the continuation of their lineage. They are at the age for marrying and settling down with a family of their own to ensure their undying legacy. Indeed, some of them have already tied the knot. Ino and Shikamaru have just wed and are already expecting their first child. Their teammate, Chouji, proposed lately and has just announced his engagement. From what Neji has heard, Shino has been busy attending several _omiai_ **[2]** set up by his family, Kiba just got a girlfriend, and Team Seven are navigating through the drama of a love triangle. In fact, Neji's own teammates have just celebrated their first anniversary since they became a couple.

Neji eventually settles down as well, to everyone's surprise. They thought he'd live his life as a celibate monk. The arranged marriage was personally overseen by his uncle, which is an honor, and the Hyuuga clan leader made sure to choose the best girl fitting for his nephew. And when Neji's wife gives birth to twin girls, he names them Hinako and Hinamori. Hiashi's eyes become watery as he learns of the names. Hanabi approves and softens; her relationship with her cousin has been strained since the end of the war.

The olive branch between the two cousins was when Hanabi reached out to Neji to teach her Jūho Sōshiken, the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists that Hinata herself developed as a unique attack of her own making.

Though Neji does not utilize the technique (as a recognition of Hinata's ingenuity; he also didn't want to overshadow her by using it), Neji passes it down to his younger cousin and his daughters. A fitting tribute of sorts.

When Naruto becomes Hokage, Neji approaches him with a project proposal: a memorial park in honor of Hinata. The Hyuuga clan financially backs the project, no expenses spared. Hanabi has just been inaugurated as the clan head a year ago, and she is more than willing to spare no expense and manpower that the Hyuuga can provide. Hiashi and Neji coordinate with the village council to oversee the park's construction. Sunflowers are chosen to be planted along with hydrangeas and forget-me-nots.

At the opening inauguration of the memorial park, Hiashi cuts the red cord, while Neji and Hanabi give speeches in Hinata's memory and honor.

Neji frequently takes his twin daughters to the park to play, mostly after their training with him. When they do, they always stop by the Yamanaka flower shop. Neji buys three flowers for each of them, each only one stem. The kinds he buys for him and his daughters to take to the park vary each time, depending on what's available and in stock. For this particular visit, Neji picks tulips of three different colors: red for Hinamori, purple for Hinako, and white for himself.

Ino wonders sometimes if Neji is aware that flowers have meanings in themselves.

Red tulip: _undying love._ **[3]**

Purple tulip: _forever love._ **[3]**

White tulip: _one-sided love._ **[3]**

Ino might not be certain about Neji, but one thing that the blonde knows for sure is that Hinata, wherever she is, will definitely understand the words spoken by the flowers that cannot pass through the lips of the giver.

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 _ **A/n:**_ The park idea was actually recycled from a ShikaIno fic of mine. But instead of the park being in Hinata's honor, it was for Neji, a development project overseen by Hinata. T_T

 **alis volat propriis [she flies with her own wings]** _ **  
**_ _State motto of Oregon; adopted in 1987, it replaced "The Union", which was the previous state motto adopted in 1957._

Source: Wikipedia

 **[1]** from Naruto chapter 614

 **[2]** _**Miai**_ (見合い, "matchmaking", lit. "looking at one another") or **omiai** (お見合い) is a Japanese traditional custom in which unattached individuals are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage. "Miai" or "omiai" is sometimes translated as an "arranged marriage" in other languages. Miai has done for centuries in Japan what can be described as "a meeting opportunity with more serious considerations for the future."

Source: Wikipedia

 **[3]** flower meanings taken from Wikipedia (Plant symbolism).


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